


Far And Free Under The Wide Night's Sky

by Burning_Nightingale



Category: Star Wars Legends: Outbound Flight - Timothy Zahn
Genre: Alternate Universe - Everyone Lives/Nobody Dies, F/M, First Time, Interspecies Romance, Strangers to Lovers
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-02-14
Updated: 2018-02-14
Packaged: 2019-03-15 07:24:08
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 6,158
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13608444
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Burning_Nightingale/pseuds/Burning_Nightingale
Summary: Lorana and Thrass; the crash of Outbound Flight, and what came after.





	Far And Free Under The Wide Night's Sky

**Author's Note:**

  * For [vanishinghitchhiker](https://archiveofourown.org/users/vanishinghitchhiker/gifts).



> I have been intending to write Lorana/Thrass ever since I first read the book; I've finally managed to make it work in this story! I hope you enjoy it, recip!

They find a suitable, habitable planet to be the colonists’ temporary home.

What they don’t manage is to put _Outbound Flight_ in orbit.

Lorana calls it just before they hit the atmosphere. “I’ve lost too many thrusters,” she says, her teeth grit and jaw clenched with the effort of keeping _Outbound Flight_ on course. “I have a feeling we’re going to lose the main engines any time now.”

Thrass, clinging onto a console just at the edge of her vision, nods. “I suppose our only option is landing. Do you think the vessel will survive impact?”

“It’s pretty tough,” she says, “And the colonists are protected in the Core. All we have to worry about is the Skysprite.”

“And ourselves,” Thrass points out, “We’re not in the best position here.”

Sweat beads on Lorana’s brow, her mind struggling and fingers twitching as she fights to remain in control of _Outbound Flight’s_ descent. “We’ll be alright,” she gets out.

And if they aren’t, well. They are only two, and a Jedi’s duty is to do everything she can to protect others, even to the point of sacrificing herself.

Which means she shouldn’t be content with sacrificing Thrass, either, but at this point she has to think of the majority.

 _Closer, closer._ The ground looms up ahead of them, the fire of reentry burning away to reveal a wide swath of blueish-green savannah. “Hold onto something,” she says, and Thrass moves out of her line of sight.

The ground is so close. _Only a minute longer_. They’re coming up on it very, very fast, but instead of fear, a cool sense of the inevitable settles in Lorana’s stomach. Live or die, she has done everything she can. She ducks her head and throws everything she has into the controls. One last push.

 _Impact_.

She feels everything jar and shudder, and then she’s flying forward, the opposite wall of the control room coming up to meet her. _Should’ve taken my own advice_ , she has time to think, before with a flash of pain everything goes dark.

*

Miraculously, she lives.

*

Lorana doesn’t remember Thrass pulling her out of the ship, or the woozy conversations they had while she lay in the alien grass and he checked her over for serious injury. She has fuzzy, vague memories of the colonists from the Core arriving a few hours later; mostly Jorad’s small, tear-stained face hanging over her, mouthing her name.

She does remember waking up in their small medical bay with a splitting headache, and the one medic among them telling her she had a concussion and would be confined to her bed for the next two days.

She remembers with perfect clarity her conversation with Chas Uliar, when he came to sit by her bed the day after the crash.

“What happened?” he had asked, short and simple.

And she had told him everything she knew; about the Jedi incapacitating the Vagaari, trying to free their slaves, and about Thrawn turning on them. About getting _Outbound Flight_ away from the Chiss so the colonists wouldn’t become prisoners of war.

She remembers Chas’ raised eyebrow. “You flew _Outbound Flight_ all by yourself? That’s impossible.”

“One of the Jedi gifts is telekinesis. I can control things from a distance; many things at once, if I can hold my concentration.” She had demonstrated by lifting several items around the room a couple of inches into the air, all at the same time. “It was just enough to allow me to work all the necessary controls at the right time.”

Chas had said nothing for a few moments, tapping out a fast rhythm on one knee. “I suppose that makes you our saviour, then,” he’d said. He hadn’t sounded happy about it.

“I did what was necessary. I don’t need any praise or acclaim.” The words had come naturally to Lorana’s mouth, though a second later she’d imagined the glare of disapproval C’baoth would’ve given her for them, and she’d cringed. _He would probably have demanded a parade_ , she remembers thinking.

“Good.” Chas had stood up abruptly. “You saved us. Might mean maybe you’re one of us. But that means you don’t get any special praise; everyone pulls together on a team, and it’s going to be the same here in the colony. No heroes.”

Lorana had nodded. “No heroes. Got it.”

*

Chas had walked out of her room and straight into his position at the head of the colony; by the time she’d been released from her bed, things were already well under way.

Now, after what feels like the longest week of her life, Lorana sits on the edge of the growing settlement in the deepening twilight, listening to the colonists talking and laughing behind her.

If everything had gone to plan, she wouldn’t still be here; she and Thrass would be halfway to the Chiss homeworld in the Skysprite by now.

But despite their care, the Skysprite took damage in the crash and now needs a significant amount of repair.

Though many of the colonists are mechanics, their time has been consumed with putting up pre-fab houses for the new settlement. None of them have much time to take a look at the Skysprite - and if Lorana is honest with herself, none of them seem interested. She’s beginning to get the feeling that these people have found what they were looking for, out here on this unexplored planet, and they have no interest in going back to the Republic.

The colonists have also made it abundantly clear that Thrass is not welcome in their new settlement, despite Lorana vouching for his help in saving them. Lorana herself feels like an outsider among her fellow humans; Chas may have said she was ‘one of them’, but she feels the way they all keep her at a distance.

 _Soured against Jedi by Master C’baoth_ , Lorana thinks; a moment later she winces.

“You look like you’re not entertaining pleasant thoughts.”

Lorana jumps, and whips her head round to look at Thrass appearing from the blue twilight. She must have been very lost in her thoughts, to have not noticed him sneaking up on her.

“You probably shouldn’t be this close to the village,” she says.

He smiles down at her. “I have a Jedi to protect me, don’t I?”

Lorana can’t think of a way to answer that, so she just shrugs. Thrass takes that as an invitation to sit down next to her. “So. Heavy thoughts?”

“About Master C’baoth.”

“Ah. An… interesting character.”

“He was my mentor.” Her voice sounds very small in the deepening night. “He was never… he never made people _hate_ him like that. Before.”

“He was put into a position with no outside supervision or higher authority,” Thrass says. “Sometimes people go mad with that kind of power.”

They’re silent for a long moment before Lorana says, “I’ve been thinking about him a lot this week. Wondering how much of what he taught me is right, and how much of it will make people hate me the way the colonists hated him.”

“The colonists _don’t_ hate you, so you must be doing something right.”

“Master C’baoth would probably have said it was my duty to install myself as their leader,” Lorana waves an arm behind her to where they can both hear a song beginning around the colonists’ fire, “But how in the galaxy could I do that here? They’d just laugh in my face. They’d probably make a jail just so they could throw me in it.”

“I’ve always found blunt force isn’t usually the best way to get what you want,” Thrass says. “Your Master C’baoth doesn’t sound like a cunning politician.”

“Oh, he had a reputation as an outstanding politician,” Lorana says.

“But did he make people want to follow him? To agree with him? Or did he just batter his way through with no subtlety at all?” Thrass gives her a significant look. “The latter may get results, but the former tends to efface lasting change.”

Lorana thinks of C’baoth in the centre of the negotiations on Barlok, haranguing both sides into agreeing with him.

She might not admit it aloud, but she has a feeling Thrass is right.

*

Lorana finds herself drawn to the hangar in D-3, spending more and more of her time there, helping Thrass fix the Skysprite. Aside from the practicalities of making sure Thrass gets enough food and water to survive - given that the colonists are so hostile toward him, she doesn’t want him caught taking things from their supplies - she feels more comfortable up here, away from the suspicion in their eyes. She likes the way the Force is calm and focused, when she and Thrass are working together in harmony.

About a week and a half after _Outbound Flight’s_ crash-landing, Thrass puts down his welder and says, “You never asked much, Lorana. About what happened.”

Lorana doesn’t need to ask _when_. “ _Outbound Flight_ was destroyed. What more is there to say?”

“You haven’t wondered why?”

Of course she has. The question isn’t relevant to the current situation - what’s done is done - but it keeps her up at night, fills her mind after she wakes from bad nightmares. Why _did_ Thrawn destroy _Outbound Flight_?

“Would any reason be good enough?” she asks, unable to help the challenge in her voice.

That silences Thrass for a long time. “I’m not sure,” he says at last. “It seems the correct answer would be ‘no’, but there may have been any number of factors we weren’t aware of.”

“Factors that justified the deaths of fifty thousand people?”

“If the intent were to prevent further war? Perhaps. A conflict between your Republic and the Chiss Ascendancy could be devastating for both sides.”

That’s true, Lorana thinks. It’s also an issue that could surely have been worked past with a little diplomacy - if Master C’baoth had been willing to listen.

“How well did you know Commander Thrawn?” she asks. “Perhaps you could give some insight into his thought process.”

“I have been thinking about it for as long as we’ve been here,” Thrass says, “So far, only an attempt to prevent war between the Chiss and the Republic seems a suitable answer; the Ascendancy could have been provoked, had _Outbound Flight_ passed through our space. Thrawn isn’t the type to attack on such a vast scale without a very good reason; he doesn’t relish destruction and death.”

“You did know him well, then.”

There is a very long pause. “He is my brother,” Thrass says, so quiet Lorana almost doesn’t hear him.

She sits up straight, narrowly avoiding smacking her head on the Skysprite’s wing. “Your _brother_?”

She can just see Thrass’ head around the body of the spacecraft; he nods. “He has always been a law unto himself,” he says, his voice very soft. “Hard to read, hard to predict. Guaranteed to do the unexpected.” He drops his voice, so much that Lorana has to strain to hear him. “I always knew he could be ruthless, but…”

“He shocked you,” she says.

“Fifty thousand people,” Thrass says. "That is no small number, not by anyone's measurement. I... I simply wish I knew why he had done it." Thrass' sigh is very heavy. "I can speculate, but..."

"It will never be as satisfying as knowing the truth."

"Exactly." She hears Thrass pick up his tools again. "Which is my cue to get back to work again, I suppose."

Despite the heavy topic of their discussion, the humour in his tone makes her smile. "I have a brother, you know," she says, not really knowing why she's bringing it up. "We don't get on."

"Oh? What happened?"

"Jedi aren't supposed to meet their families. He resents me for..." Lorana trailed off, unsure of how to explain it without painting someone in a bad light. "Well, he just resents me because of how our parents treated him - as if he were second best. It was strange, meeting someone I'd barely thought about, had no opinion on, who _hated_ me so much..."

"It seems strange," Thrass says, "Never knowing your family."

"I take it it's not the same in Chiss culture?"

"Family is incredibly important for most Chiss. The Nine Ruling Families, as is suggested by the name, control almost everything within the Ascendancy. Becoming a part of one of the Families is the path to wealth, power and influence."

"And you're part of one of them?"

Thrass pauses. "It's...a little complex. But yes, essentially. I was adopted into the family."

"I see." Lorana has a feeling the whole thing is a lot more complicated than Thrass makes it sound, but she also has the feeling that a complicated explanation will distract both of them from their work.

"Those in the Defence Fleet do give up their Family titles, however," Thrass adds after a moment, "To allow them to be neutral."

"So your brother is not in the same family as you are?"

"Thrawn is part of the Expansionary Fleet, so he is able to keep his connection to the Family." She hears Thrass sigh heavily. "Though for how much longer, who can tell? Especially without me there to cover for him."

Smiling slightly, Lorana says, "It seems brothers might be more trouble than they're worth."

It's not a fabulous joke, but Thrass laughs at it anyway. Lorana likes the way his laugh sounds, rich and deep.

It's an odd realisation, but she feels incredibly comfortable here, in this cramped hangar bay with only a strange alien for company.

*

After a full two weeks working on the Skysprite, Lorana stands with her hands on her hips over where Thrass is working. "Is it still not fixed?"

Thrass gives her a rather annoyed look. "I am working with unfamiliar alien technology."

Lorana holds up both hands in a placating gesture. "I know, I’m sorry. I don’t mean to criticise. I'm just... eager to get out of here."

Thrass grins. "You and me both. Trust me."

Unable to help with this particular part of the procedure, Lorana sits down on a crate next to him. "Given that you've never seen a ship like this, it's pretty amazing you can fix it at all."

"Our ships aren't too different," Thrass says, sitting back on his heels. "There are only so many ways to skin a champa. But if this scan comes back clear, we'll be significantly closer."

Lorana nods, looking down at the box in his hands. The idea of being able to fly away out of here is tantalising.

"So, tell me more about your Jedi."

Lorana jumps. "What?"

Thrass looks comfortable, having moved to a sitting position on the floor. "Jedi. We don't have them among the Chiss."

"Oh. Well." Lorana pauses, unsure how to explain. "Jedi are born with the innate ability to sense the Force; it's an energy field created by all living things."

"Even me?" Thrass asks, one eyebrow raised.

"You're a living thing, aren't you? You don't have to feel the Force to contribute to it. All living beings register in the Force, except when they intentionally hide their presence. That's why, if I'm not distracted, no one can sneak up on me."

"I do notice you're never surprised when I walk into a room, even when it looks like you haven't noticed me," Thrass says, thoughtful.

She always notices him, and not always because of the Force, either; she's not sure what to make of the way she finds herself unconsciously following him with her eyes. "I can move things with my mind as well," she says, to distract herself.

"Yes, I noticed that on the bridge of Outbound Flight. That was quite the impressive introduction to Jedi talents."

"And I'm not even a Master," Lorana says with a grin.

"I shudder to think of their power," Thrass says. He clearly intends it to be a joke, but there's a hint of real worry in his tone.

"I wouldn't worry. The Council - they run the Jedi Order - weren't enthused about Outbound Flight in the first place. They probably won't be interested in coming out this way again."

"That is somewhat relieving," Thrass says, though he doesn't sound entirely convinced. "You mentioned when you spoke about your brother that you weren't allowed to know your family. Why?"

"Jedi aren't supposed to have attachments," Lorana says, "so we can deal with everyone fairly. And being unable to let go of someone can lead to the dark side."

"Dark side?"

"Sometimes Jedi lose their way. They use their powers for evil. That's the dark side."

"And attachment to others leads to this?"

"Yes. Or, that's what they told me in the Jedi Temple." Lorana pauses for a moment. "You know, Master C'baoth never really went into detail about the how and why. He just told me that was the way things were."

"And given how much of his advice has turned out to be…shall we say, _misguided_ , you still believe him on this?" Thrass looks sceptical.

Lorana still feels a tinge of discomfort at the thought of disobeying C'baoth, though it's much less pronounced than it used to be. "It wasn't just him saying this; it was the entire Jedi Order."

"Hmm." Thrass looks off into the distance, clearly deep in thought. "I suppose it's just strange to me. Devotion to your family is what Chiss society hinges on. Sacrificing all your interpersonal relationships..."

"It's not quite as severe as that," Lorana hastens to correct him, "You can have friends."

"And lovers?"

Lorana feels a sudden wave of heat rush through her, despite the fact that Thrass' question lacked any sort of suggestive tone. "Not serious ones," she says, trying to sound unconcerned. "Some Jedi stick to celibacy. Some have casual relationships. It's a personal choice."

"I admit, it still sounds lonely to me."

Lorana shrugs. "Many of us think of it as a sacrifice for a higher calling."

"To never know the love of family or a partner?" Thrass shakes his head.

"Most of us are completely content," Lorana says stiffly, feeling a little defencive.

"I don't mean to criticise. It's just... very different."

"Jedi strive for the greater good. Getting too attached to someone might mean you end up prioritising them instead."

"I can see how that's logical." Before either of them can say anything more, Thrass' machine pings. He picks it up and scrolls through the readings, then smiles. "A success. I think we're finally making progress."

 _On the ship and on understanding each other,_ Lorana thinks. _Or so I hope._

*

Later, she drops into a light meditation that's more like deep self-reflection.

Her main question - what in the universe is the meaning of that reaction she had to Thrass' question about lovers?

Master C'baoth always advocated celibacy, so Lorana has never actually been intimate with a man or woman before. She's probably just excited at the idea of someone - even an unfamiliar alien - even hinting at interest in her. It's just juvenile feelings. It'll pass.

But she does keep watching Thrass. Noticing him. It's hard not to; they spend so much time together.

 _You're getting attached because he's the only here who actually likes you,_ she tells herself. _Get over it._

It's hard to tell if Thrass is watching her back - hard to tell _what_ he's looking at, actually, what with those pupil-less eyes. She thinks she feels his attention on her sometimes, through the Force, but it's always gone before she can get a grip on it.

They've talked more about the Jedi since that first conversation; Thrass seems unable to let the idea of non-attachment go by without a fight.

He looks like he's mulling something over again as Lorana steps through the hangar door on the evening that marks the end of their third week here, their meal in her hands.

"Deep in thought?" she asks, setting the food on a side table.

Thrass looks up. He seems to hesitate for a moment, then says, "Yes. I was thinking that the Jedi who do not practise celibacy must walk a fine line, taking casual lovers they are not allowed to become attached to."

Lorana looks down at the food boxes to hide the heat in her cheeks. "I wouldn't know. I've never done it."

"Never?" Thrass sounds surprised.

"My master didn't encourage it."

"But you are an independent Jedi now. Will you change your mind?"

 _Are you asking?_ Lorana wants to say, but she doesn't dare be that bold. "Maybe. I haven't decided yet." After a pause she says, "I'm sorry, by the way. I didn't think before, but you must be lonely here, without any other Chiss, with only me for company."

Thrass looks very surprised as she turns to face him. "What? No, no, I'm fine. I enjoy your company."

"Thank you. But it must be strange, suddenly being separated from you people."

"I'm learning to appreciate it," Thrass says.

There's a long moment of slightly awkward silence. "You seem to spend a lot of your time thinking about Jedi relationships. Is there a particular reason you’re interested?" Lorana asks.

To her surprise, Thrass looks somewhat uncomfortable. "They're...very different to any religious order among the Chiss."

"I just thought perhaps, because you were lonely, you wanted-"

"I didn't mean to make you uncomfortable," Thrass interrupts. "You said you didn't- that you'd never- so I just assumed you wouldn't want to-"

Confused, Lorana replays her last sentence in her head, and suddenly realises how it sounded in context. She was going to ask if he kept talking about the Jedi to keep her here; she hadn’t meant to imply that she thought he was sounding her out as a potential romantic partner.

The words, "I said maybe," slip out before she can stop them.

There's a moment of tight, nervous tension between them. Thrass takes a step closer. "Maybe isn't yes," he says, his tone cautious.

Lorana swallows. She can agree, and they can go on, nothing changed; or she can take a chance. "It's a yes," she whispers.

Thrass takes the two steps between them slowly, and cautiously rests a hand on her shoulder. When she doesn't pull away, he leans in to kiss her.

She's kissed a few people before; he tastes similar, though his mouth seems a little warmer. The sensation of his mouth against hers, his hand gently coming to rest on her jaw, makes butterflies take flight in her stomach.

She's not sure exactly how this is supposed to go - clothes off slowly, or all at once? Where should they stand- or lie-

Thrass pulls back and says, "There's a bed- it's rudimentary but-"

"Okay," Lorana says, unexpectedly breathless.

She exchanged her tattered Jedi robes for a simple shirt and trousers weeks ago; when Thrass pulls his shirt over his head, she begins unbuttoning hers. He pulls her in for another kiss, pushing the shirt off her shoulders and running his hands in long caresses over her back. She almost jumps when the catch to her bra comes loose.

Lorana shivers when Thrass runs a hand up her stomach and cups her breast in his hand, running one thumb over the nipple. No one has ever touched her there. He peppers kisses down her neck, his hands roaming over her skin, and she allows her own hands to begin a tentative exploration in return. He has stronger shoulders his background as a politician would suggest; she trails her hands down his back, wondering at the unfamiliar feeling of so much of someone else's skin under her hands.

Thrass breaks off from kissing her neck to say, "Do you want to...?" while gesturing at something behind her; she assumes it's the bed.

"Yes," she says, taking his hand and leading him blindly back towards it.

He's made a small bedroom in one of the service rooms off the hangar bay; the bed is one of the many that came with the colony supplies.

Lorana slips her trousers off before she sits down on the bed, trying not to feel self-conscious. She has nothing to be nervous about; she knows how this all works. It will be fine. It will be good.

Thrass has taken it one step further; she tries not to stare as he pushes gently on her shoulder, guiding her down onto her back on the bed. He is definitely, undoubtedly naked.

As he settles over her he says, "If you want to stop, you just say the word."

It's all she can do to nod; being this close to someone else, having so much of her skin touching his - she's never experienced it before. It's strange but good at the same time, making her skin tingle in every place they brush together.

He kisses her, soft and deep and slow, and she holds onto his shoulders as his hands sink lower, sliding her underwear off when she lifts her hips up for him, and then there's nothing between them. Her stomach is full of nerves and excitement and a hundred other things she can't quite name.

Lorana gasps just a little when Thrass touches the inside of her thigh, dragging his fingers upward, achingly slow. He whispers her name in her ear as he slips one finger into her, and she tenses and relaxes around it, the intrusion odd and wonderful at the same time.

He has three inside her by the time she's gasping with them, tingles of pleasure spreading out through her body. When he asks if she's ready, her response is immediate and eager.

He kisses her neck again as he enters her, slowly stretching her as he pushes deep inside. It's strange and intense and good; Lorana is only vaguely aware of gasping Thrass' name as he starts to move within her.

Time slows to a crawl as they move together, Lorana unaware of anything outside the two of them. An entire Sith army could sneak up on them right now and she probably wouldn't notice. Her concerns have narrowed to Thrass' hands, his breathless voice in her ear, the delicious drag and thrust of his cock in and out of her, faster and faster.

Orgasm hits her strong and unexpected, hot pleasure curling up and around in her stomach. It takes a moment for her to notice Thrass has stopped moving above her, is now lying still and panting, draped over her.

"Good?" he manages.

Still trying to get her breath back, she pants out, “Good. Really good.”

*

Lorana’s a little shy after their encounter in the hangar. That’s what she calls it in her head; calling it ‘sex’ seems too dismissive, and any other euphemisms make her cringe. She knows she’s tiptoeing around the issue, probably making Thrass think she hated it, but she can’t help it.

As a Jedi, she should regret it. The fact is, she’s not certain that she does.

She’s alone in her room, trying to fix a small service droid and stop herself thinking about her and Thrass, when Chas finds her.

He walks heavily, like there’s a great weight on his shoulders; his expression is very serious when he sits down in the chair she invites him to take. “The others wouldn’t like me telling you this,” he starts, “but you proved yourself our friend when you saved _Outbound Flight,_ or so it seems to me. I figure I owe it to you.”

“Owe me what?” Lorana asks. Dread is already churning in her stomach.

“You know the others don’t like the blue guy being here. There’s a few of them starting to get…vocal about it. Talking about seeing him off once and for all.”

There is no point asking where the other colonists think Thrass would go; they donn’t care about his wellbeing. “I see.”

“I know you’re friends,” Chas says, “I figure you might want to let him know the people might not be happy with him holing up in that hangar bay anymore.”

“He’s almost fixed the Skysprite. Once it’s finished, he’ll be out of their hair.”

That makes Chas look even more grim. “Off to tell the Republic where we are, no doubt.”

“Well, he’ll be going back to the Chiss government, but his intention is to ask them to contact the Republic, yes.”

Chas looks mulish. “And if we don’t want to go back to the Republic?”

“This planet is within an area the Chiss are outfitting as a refuge, in case their primary worlds ever get overrun,” Lorana says, “Thrass probably broke a hundred protocols just telling us about it, let alone allowing us to land here. I doubt the Chiss will let you stay.”

“The thing of it is,” Chas says, scratching his jaw, “Most people here were on _Outbound Flight_ to leave the Republic; they don’t want to go back.”

Lorana thinks for a moment. “Thrass is going to negotiate with the Chiss government. Perhaps instead of contacting the Republic, he could ask them to find a suitable planet for you to settle on?”

“And become citizens in their empire?” Chas asks bitterly.

“From what Thrass tells me, I think the Chiss might be a little xenophobic. I don’t know if they’d actually want you in their empire.”

That seems to mollify Chas a little. “If they find us a planet to settle on, a place we don’t have to answer to anyone but ourselves, we’ll leave.” He nods his head. “Some of them won’t be happy about it, but I’ll convince them.”

“Thank you.” Lorana’s not sure what else to say, so she adds, “I’ll tell Thrass about this now.”

“I can probably calm the waters for a little while,” Chas says, standing. “But the sooner he can be gone, the better. For his own safety, you understand.”

 _You can’t hide how much you dislike him from me_ , Lorana wants to say, but for the moment Chas is on her side. “Thank you again,” she says, also standing.

Chas just nods.

*

“That does complicate things somewhat,” Thrass says, when she relays what she and Chas spoke about.

“It was always going to be complicated,” Lorana says.

“At least they’re somewhat willing to leave this cluster,” Thrass says, “If they insisted on digging in here, things would get ugly.” He sighs heavily. “So, all I need to do is convince the Families to give up one of their valuable undeveloped habitable worlds, and give it to a ragtag group of aliens.”

“Or you could convince them to give up a colony ship. Then the colonists could find their own habitable planet. They could even take the supplies from the storage core.”

Thrass laughs lightly. “That would need to be a large ship.”

“They wouldn’t need _all_ the supplies.”

“We’ll have to see how negotiations go. Maybe I won’t be able to get them anything.” Thrass eyes her. “Meanwhile, I also need to convince them to let you go back to the Republic.”

Lorana blinks. “Oh. Yes. I suppose you do.”

Thrass raises an eyebrow. “You don’t want to go back?”

“I…haven’t been pining for home,” Lorana says slowly. “I should probably go back, though, since the mission failed. I should give a report to the High Council.”

Thrass looks at her, thoughtful. “Does the Jedi want to go back to the Republic, or do _you_ want to?”

“The Jedi and I are the same thing,” Lorana says stiffly.

“The more I get to know you, the more I wonder if they are.”

This is about her going back to the Republic, but also about them sleeping together, she’s almost certain. “I don’t regret it. I’m sorry if I made it seem like I do,” she says, the words all spilling out in a rush.

“I was beginning to wonder,” Thrass says.

 “It was good,” Lorana says; she can feel herself blushing bright red.

“Good is better than terrible,” Thrass says, a teasing smile on his face.

She’s not sure how to tell him why she’s so awkward; that Jedi sexual encounters are supposed to be devoid of emotion, and that theirs certainly wasn’t, at least not on her end. That she knows if she goes back to the Republic it will mean leaving him behind, and the very thought of it makes her increasingly unhappy.

“You know,” Thrass says, with a casual tone she can tell is faked, “if it wasn’t terrible, we could try…improving upon the experience.”

It’s clear what he’s offering, and the idea makes heat course through Lorana’s body, curling in her stomach and between her legs. “I…I’d like that.”

He reaches out a hand, and she steps forward to take it.

*

It takes most of another week to finish with the Skysprite; Lorana surprises herself by spending more than one of those nights not in her own bed.

Thrass could probably have fixed it faster without that distraction, she thinks as she looks at the completed starship, somewhat rueful. But even with her Jedi training a weight in the back of her mind, she can’t say she didn’t enjoy it.

“It only has so much air,” she says, looking up at the canopy, “I should probably stay here. Allow you to maximise the range.” It’s a half-hearted suggestion - the thought of waving goodbye to Thrass and being stuck here with the colonists makes her feel nauseous - but it’s the practical course of action, and she feels she should point it out.

Thrass looks up at her, surprise written all over his face. “What? I thought…” He clears his throat, “I mean, I think it would be better for you to come with me. To argue the colonists’ case in front of the Families.”

“And to prove that they’re actually here, I suppose,” Lorana says.

“Thrawn and Admiral Ar’alani can attest to that. But you know things about the Republic and _Outbound Flight_ that no one else does. I’ll need that knowledge.”

Lorana nods. She just wanted to hear him say it, she realizes - wanted him to talk her into it. “Much as it’s a little grating to think of doing so much work for people who hate you.”

Thrass shakes his head. “I’m not doing it for them. I want the remains of _Outbound Flight_ to end up in the right hands, so the balance of power between the Families isn’t upset. The colonists are just one part of that.”

“I know. Still, I feel a thank you might not go amiss.”

Thrass laughs. “They don’t have anything to thank me for yet. This could still all go wrong, remember.” He closes a panel and steps back from the ship. “Well, I can’t see anything else I need to fiddle with. Do you have anything you need to pick up?”

Lorana nudges the bag by her feet. “Already done.”

“Right. I suppose we’d best get on board.”

The Skysprite is a little cramped, but it has two seats and just about enough room to stretch their legs. “It’ll be tight getting out of the cluster on this amount of food and air,” Thrass says. He’s flicking switches, activating various systems; even as he speaks there’s a low murmur beneath them, and the Skysprite’s engines rumble into life.

 “What do we do once we get there?”

“Don’t make a face, but…we’ll need to contact my brother.” Thrass sighs. “As long as he hasn’t managed to get himself court-marshalled during the weeks I’ve been away, he should be able to come get us.”

Lorana can feel herself making a face. “Thrawn. Exactly who I want to see.”

“I’ll let you extract some answers from him. I think we both want some answers,” Thrass says darkly. Lorana hears the hiss and clunk as the life support system cycles on. “But we’ll probably need his help, and possibly Admiral Ar’alani’s, to make this work.”

Lorana purses her lips, but she doesn’t argue with him.

The hangar bay was designed to open to allow the Skysprite out, and Thrass has managed to jury-rig the opening mechanism to pull back the shutters, though they’ll be locked in the open position afterward. The improvised electronics work, pulling back the large sheets of metal, exposing the dark nighttime sky above.

“It always feels like endless potential,” Lorana says, “Looking up at the stars, about to takeoff.”

“Like you could go anywhere,” Thrass agrees. After a moment of silence he says, “Well. Maybe one day.”

Smiling, Lorana reaches over to take his hand. “ _Definitely_ one day.”

Thrass takes her hand, but he also raises his eyebrows. “Changed your mind about going back to the Jedi?”

Lorana shrugs. “I’m just leaving myself open to the will of the Force.”

“I have no idea what that means,” Thrass says, letting go of her hand again to lift the Skysprite into the air, “But I agree wholeheartedly.”

Lorana laughs, and they shoot up out of the hangar bay and toward the endless stars above.


End file.
